Top 5 Bodybuilding Cereals

A bowl of cereal can be the anchor to a healthy breakfast and, even more important, help put a halt to morning muscle catabolism.

January 18, 2013

Matthew Kadey, MS, RD

Brown Rice Farina

Gluten-free farina, made by simply grinding up brown rice, has a similar texture to oatmeal when cooked. Best of all, it cooks up in less than 10 minutes to help get you out the door fast. Jazz it up with chopped walnuts, berries and cinnamon.

Quick-Cook Steel-Cut Oats

In our pursuit of breakfast in a hurry, hearty and nutritious steel-cut oats often get cast aside. But with quick-cooking steel-cut oats that are ready to spoon up in a mere 5–7 minutes, you can deep-six those packets of sugary instant oatmeal.

Hot Multigrain Cereal

Forget all that overly sweet granola. The best multigrain hot cereals are packed with only nutrient-rich whole grains including oats, barley and rye, and contain no added sugars. Studies suggest that swapping out refined grains for whole ones can help you lose fat.

Shredded Wheat

Yeah, we know, your grandpappy used to eat the stuff — but he was probably pretty fit for his age! In terms of cold cereal, you can certainly do a lot worse than time-honored shredded wheat. An ingredient list that contains only one item, whole wheat, assures you get a healthy boost of dietary fiber. Avoid any version with a sugary coating that can blow up your six-pack.

Spelt Flakes

This ancient whole grain is a distant relative of wheat and is considered to be more nutrient dense. It provides laudable amounts of a range of vital nutrients including fiber, phosphorus, copper, magnesium and niacin. Spelt flakes, which are produced by steaming the spelt kernels and then passing them through a roller, are quick to cook and can be prepared just like oatmeal.